1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the control of livestock. More specifically, this invention relates to the control of the riding and bulling characteristics of the bovine species. Still more specifically, this invention relates to devices for discouraging the riding and bulling of cattle through use of a pungent smelling substance which is held in a breakable container and which is fixed to the animal to be protected.
2. Description of Related Art
Feedlot steers, which are castrated male cattle, are typically confined in an intensive penning system where, if no control measures are taken, certain cattle will be sexually assaulted, that is mounted and/or ridden, by other steers. The term "bulling" is used to describe the mounting and/or riding of a steer on another animal, either another steer or a cow. Cattle which are mounted and/or ridden by other steers are often seriously harmed or killed during the assault. The damage and loss of cattle due to this problem in feedlots creates a significant cost and management problem to cattle operations. The current technique for controlling a bulling steer is to separate the steer from any other animals which it would either compete or which it would attempt to ride. This separation technique requires separate pens where the offending animals are segregated. Typically the segregation will continue for the rest of the life of the offending animal. Segregation, however, imposes several important problems and costs, First, offending animals can generally only be identified after they have been observed attacking or attempting to attack another animal. This means damage will often be done to other animals before the offending steers can be identified and segregated. Second, segregating certain steers for the duration of their lives requires additional pens and increased management cost for delivering feed and inspection. Alternatively, failure to address this problem of penned cattle leads to injury or death to certain cattle as well as increased stress, which has been linked to lower health and weight, of the penned herd.
The applicant is unaware of any previous animal device, attachable to the animal, which is designed to address this mounting/riding problem among cattle.